“If this
disturbs you, then walk away…” warns singer David Draiman
on the very first song of Disturbed’s third studio album.
The album’s title track, “Ten Thousand Fists,”
is Disturbed’s most rousing call-to-arms to date, with David
calling upon his band’s leagues of fans to show their strength
and solidarity. David, ever the eloquent spokesman for his comrades
in this Chicago-based hard rock band, admits that this time, the
gloves are coming off.

“There’s true substance, true passion,
true emotion and relevancy to all of these songs,” explains
David. “And it’s an interesting record, in that it
seems to really effectively fuse elements from our last two records,
like the aggression and darkness of the first, with the more melodic
and complex nature of the second.” True to his word, Ten Thousand Fists (Reprise) is that rare hard rock album that exists
purely in the now, with lyrics that are influenced by both the
state of the world and by inter-personal relationships at the
midpoint of the decade, and powered by riffs, beats and solos
that sear with the fury of the best rock and roll.

Formed in 1996, having previously introduced
the world to the concept of 2000’s The Sickness (3.4 million
copies sold) and then proving to fans that they were here to stay
with the Billboard No. 1-charting, Platinum-plus-selling Believe
(2002)--with current sales of 1.6 million--Disturbed made sure
that when it came time to return to the studio with longtime associate,
producer Johnny K., they would have the goods with them yet again.
Guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer MIKE WENGREN began jamming together
a mere month after the conclusion of the band’s triumphant
Main Stage appearance on Ozzfest 2003. They ended up with 19 songs
to present to lyricist David, and 13 of them ended up on the new
album (along with a strikingly hard-hitting cover of Genesis’s
“Land of Confusion”).

Ten Thousand Fists boasts a cover by wildly-popular
comics artist Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn), and is spearheaded
by the radio tracks “Stricken” and “Guarded.”

Donegan’s willingness to stretch out
and begin playing more solos was a revelation to the band. “DanNY
has finally come out of his cage,” David says admiringly.
“He’s ripping solos on a bunch of the songs on this
record. I couldn’t be more proud, I’m so glad that
he’s decided to have the courage to show everyone what he
can do, and it’s fantastic.”

Having been befriended years ago by Pantera’s
Dimebag Darrell, Disturbed took his shocking murder very hard.
Dan, who had been playing Pantera’s songs in bands long
before Disturbed had even formed, allows that his spirit definitely
had an impact on the album.

“Unfortunately,” Dan recalls,”
the day we entered the studio will always stay with me, because
we had all flown down to Texas for the funeral, and when we returned,
the next day we were working.

“Part of me is still paying tribute to
him,” he continues, “we need more lead guitar players
out there, they’ve been away for too long.” Disturbed
would organize and perform a concert in Chicago that year to raise
funds for Dimebag’s family.

There was another detour along the way. Before
the band returned to the studio with Johnny K (who produced the
two previous albums), the band experienced the departure of bassist
Fuzz, who was excused from the group for “personal differences.”
(On Ten Thousand Fists, bass duties were handled by John Moyer,
a former member of The Union Underground.)

In the meantime, the band approved the use
of Richard Cheese’s comedic version of “Down With
the Sickness” for a crucial scene in the successful remake
of Dawn of the Dead, which David says he found both amusing and
appropriate for the film. “The filmmakers were very passionate
about using that version of the song, and when they showed us
the movie in a private screening, we thought it was just perfect.”

“Down With the Sickness” showcased
David’s animalistic approach to vocals to the hard rock
audience, and he continues to use his impressive growl to counterpoint
his soaring vocals on the new songs. “I only do what I feel,
and it’s not a choice, really. The song dictates how I sing
it. If there’s a part where the primal side of the vocals
feels right coming out, I think that I have a responsibility to
let it out.

“Ten Thousand Fists is really more anger-oriented
than Believe,” continues David, “more about just lashing
out at the state of things, at the situations that we’ve
fallen into and the state of events of the world around us. It’s
a rallying cry.”

THE SONGS

“There’s definitely a myriad of
subject matter being dealt with on this record,” begins
David Draiman. “Some of them are relationship-oriented,
some of them are life-experience-oriented, a lot of them are politically-motivated
and -charged. I would say on this record that there is no specific
unifying theme, necessarily, to all of the songs. They all have
their own life and their own identity. There isn’t one cohesive,
binding thing other than they’re all very passionate and
very emotional.”

An unusual candidate for a singer in a heavy
metal band, the articulate David speaks about his songs and passions
intelligently, and writes lyrics that don’t preach to the
lowest common denominator. (Not for nothing was he a two-time
panelist on ABC’s Politically Incorrect program.) He expects
Disturbed fans to engage their minds and open their consciousnesses
to question the world, their beliefs, and themselves.

Quite rightly, there will be some controversy
with some songs, and David hopes to be debated about his views
on government, war, and our country’s current divisiveness.
But unlike the songs on Believe, which often found the singer
sounding as if he was on some moral crusade to expose hypocrisy
in all its forms, this time out David has written lyrics that
are more introspective and self-questioning.

“A lot of them deal with that,”
he says, “particularly the relationship-oriented songs,
in terms of the choices made, in terms of the paths that we walk
down.”

“Stricken,” the first single, is
among the more personal of the new tracks, allows David. “It’s
about those moments when someone comes into your life and it’s
almost as if you’ve been afflicted with a disease you can’t
get rid of. Devastating and debilitating.” Needless to say,
this all-encompassing relationship gave birth to an eviscerating
song of infernal love, complete with an explosive lead guitar
burst from Dan.

The passionate lyrics of “Ten Thousand Fists,” which opens the album like a battering ram, David
says are “meant to signify unity and strength, the kind
of elation and power” that can be felt at a momentous rock
show. “It’s speaking to the nonbelievers: ‘You
will remember the night you were struck by the sight of/Ten Thousand Fists in the air’.”

“Deify” challenges society’s
tendency to elevate their leaders to God-like status, with a chorus
that rallies: “You’re no immortal, I won’t let
them/Deify you.” To illustrate this, a sample of George
Bush’s 9/11 speech is used at the beginning of the song.
“George W. Bush is who he is,” states David. “Agree
with him or not, you cannot disagree with the fact that the entire
portion of the country that was colored red during the election
attributed godlike powers to this man.”

But it is the Iraq occupation that clearly
raises the singer’s ire. A staunch advocate for peace, David’s
songs “Sacred Lie,” “Forgiven,” and “Overburdened”
all deal with the horrors of the mutilation and damnation of war,
the terrible cost paid in flesh, blood, and souls. It’s
a familiar topic to hard rock—see Metallica’s “One”
or Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”--and Disturbed’s
take is equally savage and heartfelt.

Says David, “I write songs like these
from the perspective of trying to portray the futility of conflict
and the futility of lives being lost for no good goddamn reason.
On face value, some of the songs may seem anti-military, but there’s
a very big difference between being anti-military and antiwar.
I am flagrantly antiwar, but am passionately pro-military.”
“In fact, many soldiers have told me they listen to Disturbed
while marching into conflict. If our music can bring fearlessness
and strength to soldiers, I can’t be more proud,”
says David.

“Land of Confusion” is a cover
of the 1986 Genesis hit, but its socially-conscious lyrics fit
the second half of Ten Thousand Fists well, so with Dan’s
prodding, the band arrived at an aggressive version of the song,
despite David’s concern at recording another cover song
so soon after The Sickness’ “Shout 2000” (an
update of the Tears for Fears hit). “I think [‘Land
of Confusion’] is certainly better than what we did with
‘Shout,’” David says, “I hope that people
will be able to hear it and take away a positive message.”

“Sons of Plunder” finds the singer
tackling the current state of modern pop radio. “Every A&R
guy and their mother is trying to jump on what they think is the
next band to break, and flood the airwaves with the same bands
that sound exactly the same as every other band in that respective
genre. If ‘Sons of Plunder’ ends up offending some
of the sheep out there, oh, well. I don’t care!”

After an extended break, Disturbed are more
than ready to bring the sounds of the new album to the fans. The
intention is to reintroduce themselves with appearances in small
clubs (500 fists!); then to make the leap to bigger (1,000 fists!)
and bigger venues along the way. By the time they hope to see
Ten Thousand Fists punching the air in time to their new songs,
Disturbed will be well on their way to proving how dynamic their
lean-and-mean hard rock stage show really is.